Driving the chemical industry with Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

The UBE Group (Thailand) is a producer of high-quality chemical products, catering to customer demands for various end products such as automotive parts, car tires, packaging films, sports equipment, furniture, and fertilizers.

The UBE Group originated from a coal business in the city of Ube, Japan, in 1897. To meet the demands of a holistic lifestyle in the globalization, currently, UBE Group focuses on specialty chemicals businesses and aims to create a sustainable society.

The UBE Group is confident that what they do today will shape what happens tomorrow. By transforming today, they can change tomorrow to create a fulfilling lifestyle.

The UBE Group has one of their bases in Thailand, called the UBE Group (Thailand). The UBE Group (Thailand) headquarter is located in Bangkok, with Production Plants and Research and Development Center located in Rayong province.

The UBE Group (Thailand) produces high-quality chemical products such as Caprolactam, Nylon, Synthetic Rubber, Polycarbonate Diol and Ammonium Sulfate. These products cater to various customer needs, including automotive components, car tires, packaging films, sports equipment, furniture, and fertilizers.

Including the supply of Polyimide for electronic devices and Separation Membranes used in the gas separation process.

Throughout the years, the UBE Group (Thailand) has continuously adapted under the vision of driving success through innovation, technology, and excellence in management.

In order to cope with competition and respond to customer demands quickly and flexibly, apart from building efficient production processes, digital technology is one of the key drivers to achieve the organization’s goals.

This has led the UBE Group (Thailand) to be determined to drive the organization forward with cutting-edge digital technology, by fully embracing the path of Digital Transformation.

However, achieving the goal is not easy because Digital Transformation is filled with highly complex processes. Starting within a short timeframe is particularly challenging.

While UBE’s technology team has a strategic mission to develop digital solutions to meet business needs, the UBE Group (Thailand) must also have technology partners with experience and expertise to provide guidance and drive successful Digital Transformation. This is why they trust and choose to collaborate with Fujitsu.

Not only sourcing IT solutions to ensure efficient operations, but Fujitsu has also helped the UBE Group (Thailand) kick start Digital Transformation swiftly and accurately through two crucial solutions: Design Thinking for Innovation Project Design and Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

The Design Thinking for Innovation Project Design solution has enabled UBE to brainstorm design ideas, identify problems, set solutions, and lay out clear directions for Digital Transformation. This has allowed UBE to kick start Digital Transformation quickly with appropriate and business-aligned approaches.

And a result of this process, UBE decided to opt for the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution to automate repetitive tasks previously handled manually.

By implementing RPA, UBE utilized it across five departments, including Accounting and Finance, Customer Service, Government Liaison, Corporate Strategic Planning and Production Control.

The RPA solution has delivered satisfactory business results to the UBE Group (Thailand), both in terms of increasing operational efficiency, saving time, and reducing energy consumption.

By helping to increase efficiency and reduce work time by up to 64%, the RPA solution has reduced the total working hours across all departments from 192 to just 68 hours per day.

These contribute to creating a happy workplace, reducing stress, minimizing work errors, and providing customer satisfaction.

At the same time, it also helps reduce printing costs by up to 30%, decrease paper usage, conserve energy and contribute to create a green industry in a sustainable world.

The progression towards Digital Transformation by the UBE Group (Thailand), under the collaboration with Fujitsu, in this instance marks just the beginning of stepping into the digital chemical industry. It is propelled by modernized workflows, leveraging technology, fostering innovation, enhances competitive advantage in the global market, and drives the organization forward sustainably.